SIAL Canada 2017 on Track to Break Attendance Records

The SIAL international food show in North America is back in Toronto from May 2 to May 4, 2017 for its 14th edition, which promises to feature numerous novelties.

Held at Montreal’s Palais des Congrès in April 2016, the most recent edition was a record breaking one, and boasted an all-time high of 930 exhibitors as well as an increase of 17 percent compared to 2014 in terms of number of attending industry professionals, making it a historic year for the show. In fact, close to 17,500 visitors from across Canada and from 67 countries passed through the aisles during the 2016 edition. After this unprecedented success, the Toronto edition is already looking to beat these numbers. 

SIAL CANADA will welcome the European Union as the region of honor for its 2017 edition in Toronto. Now that CETA will come into force in 2017, there are new possibilities arising for the food industry, SIAL officials say. Given that the EU is the biggest player on the global food-trading scene, it’s easy to understand why it’s Canada’s second largest and most influential partner after the US, according to officials. The value of bilateral trade in goods between the EU and Canada was €63.5 billion in 2015. Moreover CETA represents a whole new world of trading opportunities for Canadian companies from coast to coast.

Putting forward the EU as the region of honor is also about opening up the Canadian market to all industry players— especially local and international exhibitors. Through this historic trade agreement, SIAL Canada will support, educate and create groundbreaking new opportunities for food business professionals, officials say. 

Phil Hogan, Member of the European Commission responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development, will be in attendance at SIAL Canada with a business delegation of approximately 60 companies for this new edition of the show. Honouring the European Union—with the help of the European Commission through their promotional policy under the slogan “Enjoy! it's from Europe”— also serves to open the North American and European markets to the industry as a whole. The 1,200-foot European pavilion will be dedicated to demonstrate the accessibility, quality and diversity of the EU products.